Optical or optoelectronic transmitter-receiver modules (optical transceivers for short) are utilized primarily to convert electrical information to optical information and optical information to electrical information, and to transmit and receive optical information over or from an optical fiber. Generally, optical transceivers include optoelectronic devices, electrical circuits and electrical and optical interfaces, and play an important role in optical fiber communication systems and optical networks. Various package types for optical transceivers can be classified as SFP, GBIC, XFP, etc. SFP optical transceivers comply with a small form-factor package standard or specification and are hot-pluggable, which enables SFP optical transceivers to be connected to or disconnected from networking or communications equipment when the power to the equipment is on. As SFP optical transceivers may be inserted and extracted frequently when in use, the optical transceivers benefit from a built-in or integrated latching and de-latching mechanism to secure the optical transceiver in a cage or socket in the networking or communications equipment and free the optical transceiver from the cage or socket. Such latching and de-latching mechanisms should work smoothly, without need for excessive force and without risking damage to the optical transceiver or the networking or communications equipment.
Some conventional (de)latching mechanisms for optical transceivers operate by forcing a projection on a latch body into a hole or opening in the cage or socket to latch the transceiver, and retracting the projection to de-latch the transceiver. In some cases, the projection is at one end of a lever, and the other end of the lever is connected to a handle or pull-tab. When de-latching, lifting the handle or pull-tab retracts the projection to release it from the corresponding hole or opening in the cage or socket. However, the handle or pull-tab does not always cause the projection to retract from the hole or opening, and structures on the latch body and or the optical transceiver involved in latching and de-latching may break, leading to damage to the optical transceiver and/or the cage or socket, and even device failure in some cases.
This “Discussion of the Background” section is provided for background information only. The statements in this “Discussion of the Background” are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this “Discussion of the Background” section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this “Discussion of the Background” section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this “Discussion of the Background” section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.